


Quiet Valentine’s

by SyntheticFlyingMachine



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, M/M, No Smut, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:14:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29171691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SyntheticFlyingMachine/pseuds/SyntheticFlyingMachine
Summary: Both single, Cassidy and Mirage relax at home on Valentine’s Day
Relationships: Mirage | Elliott Witt/Original Male Character(s)
Kudos: 2





	Quiet Valentine’s

**Author's Note:**

> I’m not very happy with this but I’m posting it anyway ): please comment or leave a kudos to make me feel better about it haha

"Did you know that on this day in 1990, the Voyager 1 spacecraft took the famous photo of Earth, called 'Pale Blue Dot'?" Cassidy drummed a pen on the bar in front of him, getting bored as he wrote a grocery list. "It's crazy when you think about it. It was so long ago but the picture is still relevant today. Compare the way Earth looks in that picture to how it is now with it's dull, muted colors. It's almost scary to see. Surreal, even."  
Elliot snorted, tapping the notepad in front of the two of them. "Put down brown sugar, I'm running out. You and Dr. Somers would get along real well. You really should talk to the other legends more often, and not just Renee and Natalie."  
Cassidy scribbled down the rest of the items they needed to get at the store, the list was starting to get long but it still felt like something was missing. "Yeah, yeah. I'll open up to them all eventually. It's just... difficult for me to trust others." He grumbled out loud as he reread the list a couple more times. He couldn't figure out what it was that he needed. Memory was funny like that: remembering useless facts of historical events that happened lifetimes ago versus not remembering to do simple tasks around the house. It was so frustrating at times.  
Cassidy shook his head, cursing under his breath as he thought about the way his fall would be plaguing him for the rest of his life. Migraines, hearing sensitivity, memory loss, that damn broken implant. His issues made him think of someone else, calming him down when he remembered there were others dealing with similar problems. "E... how's your mother?"  
"My- my mom?" Elliot cleared his throat and straightened his posture, caught off guard by the question.  
"She called you a while ago, right? Is she doing alright?"  
"You mean from a couple of months ago?" A soft smile began to spread across Elliot's face as he got up and stretched. "I wasn't around when she called so she ended up leaving a voicemail. I called her back- obviously- but I kept what she said to me. I always keep the voicemails I receive from her." He walked over to the couch and grabbed his phone from the coffee table before sitting down.  
Cassidy followed suit, making himself comfortable in the spot next to his friend.  
The recording of Evelyn's voice began playing once Elliot pressed a button on his phone. She had put on a voice, mocking Kuben Blisk in an attempt to fool Mirage, claiming that holograms were being banned from the games. Elliot started to smile when he heard her use the word "bamboozled" and begin talking about some flowers that he had sent her. Marigolds. They were special to the both of them, coming from a line in a song Elliot had mentioned to Cassidy a few times and the only song he could play on the piano. The Inchworm, by Frank Loesser. It was ancient, hundreds of years old, a song that most people wouldn't know anything about.  
Elliot's smile faded as his mother began talking about the card attached to the flowers, a birthday card. She had forgotten that it was her birthday. It was as if the more she tried to remember, the more she forgot, even forgetting who she was talking to. She mentioned her sons and her brothers, she mentioned Elliot as if she was telling someone else about him. Cassidy could hear the pain and confusion in her voice and saw the way those emotions reflected on Elliot's face. The way his eyes dashed back and forth like he was panicking slightly, breath quickening.  
Cassidy gently squeezed the back of his friend's neck as if he was a kitten, attempting to calm him down. Elliot relaxed as he heard his mother's tone of voice change a bit, beginning to talk about a girl he had told her about and how he had grown up so fast. Then, as if a switched flipped in her head, she started talking directly to Elliot again, asking him to call her as soon as he could. The voicemail ended.  
A long sigh escaped from Elliot's lungs as he set the phone back onto the table next to a flickering candle. He sunk deep into the sofa cushions as if he was exhausted. "No matter how many times I hear that, it still scares the hell out of me. The way she talks about her dream of how everyone keeps telling her she's going to die? It's ag- egg- egrig- it's awful." He ran a shaky hand through his hair, laughing away the tears forming at the corner of his eyes. "It's hard to believe but that was one of her better days. She remembered all our names this time, my uncles, too."  
"And recently? How has she been doing?" Cassidy moved his hand to a resting position on Elliot's shoulder.  
"Surprisingly, she's been pretty great. A lot of good days this month. She remembers things a lot more when we're on the phone and her doctors tell me when she does better than usual." He seemed to be in a better mood now.  
Cassidy grinned at the shift in mood and leaned back, laying his legs across Elliot's lap as he sprawled out over the couch. "I'm glad," he said, his voice soft as his eyes drifted shut.  
Elliot's hands fell down to Cassidy's legs, mindlessly caressing them. His little finger played with the hem of Cassidy's holiday themed shorts, which were black and patterned with pastel candy hearts. A hint of a smirk danced along his lips as he silently read the bad puns written in the center of each heart.  
It had been a slow day and the sun was finally starting to set, judging from the window across the room, although the atmosphere around them made it feel like nighttime was already here. Cassidy breathed in the warm scent of cinnamon coming from the candle on the table, opening one eye to peek at Mirage. "So, who's this girl Ev said you were talking about?" He lazily nudged Elliot, putting emphasis on the teasing tone of his voice.  
A nervous chuckle escaped from Elliot's throat before he looked down at Cassidy. "It's no one, seriously. Sometimes I talk to her about the people I'm close to, maybe she thinks I have a crush on Wraith or Rampart."  
"Okay I understand Renee, but Ramya? She's like a little sister to you. Not to mention, I think Sheila and Pathfinder are more of her type if you know what I mean." Cassidy raised an eyebrow, wondering who Elliot could've possibly talked about with his mother. "Come on, moms always know these things. Renee and I are friends but you can trust me with your secrets. You two used to have a thing for each other, no?"  
Elliot sighed as he said, "It's neither of them. I mean, I do tell Ma about them, I tell her about all my friends. And sure, maybe Renee and I had feelings for each other once upon a time but the person she's thinking of has an ambi- ambidex- no- ambiguous name. Maybe it never occurred to her that I'm not talking about a woman."  
Cassidy sat up straight, suddenly much more invested in the topic at hand. The conversation made him feel like a high schooler again, lounging around with old friends and talking about the people they found attractive. He scooted closer, practically sitting on Elliot's lap at this point. "Who is this mysterious friend? Don't tell me it's Crypto."  
Mirage tilted his head in a dog-like manner towards Cassidy. "Does 'Crypto' sound like a very ambiguous name to you?"  
"Well I don't know his real name!"  
Still laughing, Elliot rolled his eyes. "No one does. That's like, his whole gimmick. It's not Hound or Octavio or any of the other Legends, either. Can we maybe talk about this when it's not Valentine's Day?"  
Cassidy let out a whine and moved back away from Mirage. "I thought we were having fun."  
"Yeah, at my expense, Cass!" Elliot frowned, grabbing the television remote. "I'm too tired to go grocery shopping, let's do it tomorrow, okay?"  
Cassidy sleepily hummed out a small 'mhm' while his eyes followed the movie titles that were quickly scrolling up the TV's channel guide. "What're we watching? The only things on are cheesy rom-coms."  
Elliot shrugged and stopped flipping through the channels, landing on some movie that was based off an old novel. "Maurice? Haven't seen that one before." He heard Cassidy let out a yawn and slung his arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer to him.  
The outside grew darker, a soft orange glow dimly lighting the room as the movie's start credits appeared on screen. The sun set fast this time of year. Cassidy snuggled closer to his friend as he watched the screen in front of him. "Hey, El, do you know the story of Saint Valentine?"  
Elliot lightly tugged at a tuft of Cassidy's hair, annoyed that he was interrupting the movie already. "No, but you can tell me after the movie, Cat."

**Author's Note:**

> The reason Mirage calls Cassidy “Cat” at the end is because that’s the meaning of Cassidy’s last name, Kotov.


End file.
